Eco-anxiety is a medical condition affecting an increasingly larger number young people worldwide. Doctors the UK have been advised to raise the topic climate change during consultations patients. New guidelines encourage doctors to discuss the dangers global warming. A health consultation might now consist a medical diagnosis, along with advice how to reduce carbon footprints. It might also include help how to deal with eco-anxiety. The Daily Mail newspaper cited critics the guidelines who called them "seriously unethical". They said: "Doctors should spend their precious time treating patients rather than lecturing them 'politicised issues'."
The United Nations has described eco-anxiety as "an emergency crisis hidden plain sight". Eco-anxiety is defined as stress caused the constant worry the environment and the climate crisis. The UN said the condition will severely affect the mental health children. Downtoearth.com wrote: "Extreme weather events like wildfires, heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods lead to displacement and food shortages, causing psychological harm to humans. They lead to anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress." A UN survey found that 59 per cent young people a study were distressed about the climate. The youngsters felt, "sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty".
